January 17, 2018
“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. …He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”1
This verse is proving so true in my life. When I made the effort to put Jesus in first place by spending ample time in His Word and prayer, opportunities dropped in my lap and doors opened, which goes to show that it’s all by His Spirit! Amazingly enough, many of the opportunities to make a difference have occurred as I’ve gone about my everyday to-dos, and often while I’m traveling by public transportation in the Swedish city where I live.
On one such ordinary trip, I was taking my youngest son in his buggy. As I approached the bus station, I noticed two men who were obviously intoxicated. One man was holding a plastic bag filled with beer cans. They seemed noisy and obnoxious to me, and my initial reaction was to keep a good distance as I didn’t want to be inconvenienced.
I immediately heard the Lord say, “Talk to them!” It dawned on me how quickly I had judged them by their appearance and behavior. The Bible says, “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”2 Jesus didn’t care what social standing or label people had when He chose to give them His love and attention. He was even accused of being a drunk and denounced for fraternizing with the wrong crowd. He chose love above reputation or comfort.
Moments of discomfort followed as I struggled within myself to follow His lead. But I decided to give it a shot. I handed them two “Somebody Loves You” tracts and told them it would make their day.
They began to ask me lots of questions about my faith and what church I belonged to. I explained that I don’t go to church but have found help and strength from reading the Bible and the personal connection I have with Jesus. The man with the beer cans told me he’d had plenty of bad experiences with Christians that talked about Jesus’ love but were condescending. “I want nothing to do with them,” he added.
As more and more people began filling the bus station, they quietly listened during our out-of-the-ordinary conversation about salvation. I kept sending up silent prayers for the right answers.
Finally the ruder of the two smirked and said out loud and clear, “I’ll take Jesus if I can get in your pants!” I smiled at his attempt to choke and embarrass the Christian, and before I had a chance to answer, he added with a sigh, “Or just give me some food!”
“When was the last time you ate?” I asked.
“I haven’t had a meal in two days,” was his response. There was silence. I asked the Lord to show me how to proceed. I knew this was His opportunity to reach out to this lost man to show him He really does love him.
“Okay,” I replied. “I’m cooking spaghetti and meat sauce tonight for my family. I can meet you here with a warm meal by dinnertime.” He happily agreed on a time to meet, and with that, his attitude changed from scornful to respectful.
Time was short, as the bus would be arriving any minute, so I felt God’s lead to offer to pray for him.
“Drinking has destroyed me,” he said. “I’ve tried to stop many times.”
This brought to mind what I had read once about addiction being an outside force that can only be conquered by an outside power bigger than yourself, “and that power,” I went on to say, “is God.”
In response to that message his drinking buddy, who had been the gentler of the two, started yelling angrily, “How’s Jesus gonna help him?!”
But the man I was talking with told him off, saying, “Respect prayer, man! She’s gonna pray for me.”
I put my hand on his shoulder and I felt the boldness of the Holy Spirit pulse through my veins as we both bowed our heads in front of a staring crowd and I prayed for his salvation, for him to understand how much Jesus loves him, and for his deliverance from alcoholism.
He was moved and said in a choked voice, “I felt a warm sensation in my heart when you prayed. I’ve never felt that before!”
The bus arrived and I got on. “Thank you!” he said, as we parted.
After cooking dinner that evening, my preteen said he felt strongly that Jesus wanted us to put enough food in the dinner for two. So we did, adding plastic silverware and napkins before we headed off. It was great to see how readily my kids got involved.
I was wondering if he’d actually show up for his dinner at the appointed time, and he did, now sober. We stood in the empty station and talked for a while longer about Jesus’ healing power. As I handed him the food, I explained that we had the feeling to add enough for two meals. “Thanks!” he exclaimed. “My roommate is hungry as well and I was planning on sharing this meal with him!” Wow, what a miracle! God knew! We added a tract for his friend too.
I asked him if he had read the tract I gave him earlier, and he said he had. He wasn’t ready to receive Jesus just yet, but I knew God had planted a seed in his heart and that our prayers would do the watering.
The Lord laid it on my heart to give him a hug, and I said, “Jesus loves you!”
“Nobody’s ever done a thing like this for me before!” he responded.
I was so inspired at the result that came from being willing to be available when Jesus asked me to step out of my comfort zone to witness to and touch this man with His love, even if it did kill my pride at first because of the onlookers. It makes me want to dare to be a fool for Christ,3 no matter what He asks of me or how difficult it may be initially. As the challenge stands, “I’m a fool for Christ. Whose fool are you?”
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